JP4963061B2 - Fuel cell system and replacement system for fuel cell desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell system for predicting the lifetime of a desulfurizing agent and a reforming catalyst used in a fuel cell system and notifying the replacement timing of the desulfurizing agent and the reforming catalyst, and a desulfurizing agent and reforming catalyst replacement system for the fuel cell. It is about.

  Due to environmental problems and energy problems in recent years, fuel cells are attracting attention as a clean and highly efficient power generation system. A fuel cell generally generates hydrogen by a reforming reaction using a fuel such as natural gas or kerosene as a raw material, and generates power by a chemical reaction between the hydrogen and oxygen in the air. Since the catalyst used for this reforming is poisoned by the sulfur content in the fuel and its activity deteriorates, it is necessary to desulfurize the sulfur content in the fuel to a very low level.

  Normally, the above desulfurization is performed in a desulfurizer provided in the fuel cell, and sulfur contained in the fuel is removed by adsorption or sorption with a desulfurization agent. Once sorbed, no further sulfur can be processed, so the desulfurizing agent must be replaced.

  In addition, the activity of the reforming catalyst deteriorates due to sulfur poisoning, and the activity of the catalyst deteriorates due to carbon deposition (coking) on the catalyst accompanying the reforming reaction, resulting in a decrease in hydrogen generation ability. . For this reason, it is necessary to replace the reforming catalyst as appropriate.

  For example, the replacement of the desulfurizing agent is normally performed based on the usage time of the desulfurizing agent, but as a technique for replacing the desulfurizing agent at a more appropriate timing, for example, as described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 Things are known.

  In Patent Document 1, a correlation graph between the operating time of the fuel cell and the remaining life of the desulfurization filter is set in advance, and the measured value of the operating time of the fuel cell and this correlation graph are referred to to determine the replacement timing of the desulfurization filter. A prediction method is described.

Further, in Patent Document 2, when predicting the life of a desulfurizer in a fuel cell, data including at least one of power generation amount, exhaust heat recovery amount, and fuel usage amount is measured, and the accumulated amount of data is calculated. A fuel cell and a desulfurizing agent replacement system are described that indicate that it is time to replace the desulfurizing agent when a predetermined reference value is exceeded.
JP 2004-342510 A JP 2004-362856 A

  By the way, the content of sulfur, for example, contained in natural gas, kerosene and the like actually used as fuel for fuel cells usually varies from lot to lot within a predetermined standard value range.

  However, when the fuel cell is replaced based on the operating time of the fuel cell, the amount of power generation, or even the usage time of the desulfurizing agent as in the above-mentioned prior art, the above-mentioned fluctuation is not taken into consideration, so there is still a margin in the remaining life. However, there is a possibility of replacement regardless of the necessity, and the frequency of replacement becomes higher than originally necessary, and there is also a problem from the economic aspect such as an increase in the burden of recycling. On the other hand, there is a possibility that the remaining life may be reduced more than expected, and if desulfurization cannot be performed, the catalyst is damaged and hydrogen cannot be generated, resulting in the shutdown of the fuel cell.

  An object of the present invention is to advantageously solve the above-described problems. A fuel cell system according to the present invention includes a fuel cell that generates power using fuel supplied from a fuel tank, and a fuel in the fuel tank. Fuel average quality calculating means for calculating the average quality of the fuel in the fuel tank from the remaining amount, the fuel supply amount and the quality of the supplied fuel, and the amount of fuel used in the predetermined period from the change in the remaining fuel amount in the predetermined period Calculates the processing amount of the managed component in the fuel processed by the fuel desulfurization agent and the fuel reforming catalyst from the fuel usage amount calculating means to calculate, the fuel usage amount in the predetermined period and the average quality of the fuel Management component throughput calculation means, desulfurization agent replacement timing prediction means for predicting the replacement timing of the desulfurization agent from the cumulative value of the management component throughput, and a cumulative value of the management component throughput A reforming catalyst replacement time prediction means for predicting the replacement time of the reforming catalyst is characterized in that it comprises a and a replacement predicted time notification means for notifying replacement predicted timing of the desulfurizing agent and the reforming catalyst.

  Further, the fuel cell desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement system according to the present invention is based on the fuel remaining in the fuel tank, the fuel supply amount, and the quality of the supplied fuel. An average fuel quality calculating means for calculating an average quality of the fuel, a fuel usage amount means for calculating a fuel usage amount in a predetermined period from a change in the remaining amount of fuel in a predetermined period, an average of the fuel usage amount and the fuel in a predetermined period Management component processing amount calculation means for calculating the processing amount of the management component in the fuel processed by the fuel desulfurization agent and the fuel reforming catalyst from the quality, and the desulfurization from the cumulative value of the processing amount of the management component A desulfurization agent replacement time prediction means for predicting a replacement time of the agent, a reforming catalyst replacement time prediction means for predicting a replacement time of the reforming catalyst from a cumulative value of the processing amount of the management component, a desulfurizing agent and It is characterized in that it comprises a and a replacement predicted time notification means for notifying replacement predicted timing of the reforming catalyst.

  In the fuel cell system of the present invention, the fuel cell generates power using the fuel supplied from the fuel tank, and the fuel average quality calculating means supplies the fuel remaining amount, the fuel supply amount and the fuel supply in the fuel tank. The average quality of the fuel in the fuel tank is calculated from the quality of the fuel, and the fuel use amount calculating means calculates the fuel use amount in the predetermined period from the change in the remaining fuel amount in the predetermined period, and the managed component processing amount calculating means Calculate the processing amount of the management component in the fuel treated with the fuel desulfurization agent and the fuel reforming catalyst from the fuel usage amount and the average quality of the fuel in a predetermined period, and predict the desulfurization agent replacement timing Means predicts the replacement timing of the desulfurization agent from the cumulative value of the processing amount of the management component, and the reforming catalyst replacement timing prediction means determines the replacement timing of the reforming catalyst from the cumulative value of the processing amount of the management component. Predict And exchange prediction time notification means notifies such as the desulfurization agent and the modified user and maintenance operators the exchange prediction time of the catalyst.

  Further, in the fuel cell desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement system of the present invention, the fuel average quality calculating means supplies the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank, the fuel supply amount and the fuel supply for supplying fuel to the fuel cell. The average quality of the fuel in the fuel tank is calculated from the measured fuel quality, and the fuel use amount calculation means calculates the fuel use amount in the predetermined period from the change in the remaining fuel amount in the predetermined period, and the managed component processing amount The calculating means calculates a processing amount of the management component in the fuel processed by the fuel desulfurization agent and the fuel reforming catalyst from the fuel usage amount and the average quality of the fuel in a predetermined period, and replaces the desulfurization agent The timing predicting means predicts the replacement timing of the desulfurization agent from the cumulative value of the processing amount of the management component, and the reforming catalyst replacement timing prediction means replaces the reforming catalyst from the cumulative value of the processing amount of the management component. Predict the time And, and replace the predicted time notification means notifies the exchange prediction time of the desulfurizing agent and the reforming catalyst.

  Therefore, according to the fuel cell system of the present invention and the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement system of the fuel cell of the present invention, both are introduced into the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst from the amount of fuel used and the quality of the fuel. Since the cumulative value of the treated amount of the managed component was calculated and the replacement time of the desulfurizing agent and the reforming catalyst was predicted based on this, it was possible to predict these replacement times more accurately, Since the predicted replacement time is notified to fuel cell users and maintenance operators, etc., appropriate timing such as prevention of fuel cell operating efficiency reduction and reduction of replacement frequency of desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst. It is possible to exchange at

  In the fuel cell desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement system of the present invention, the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst are output based on the predicted replacement times respectively output from the replacement predicted time notification means provided in the plurality of fuel cells. A replacement plan creation means for creating and outputting a replacement plan for the reforming catalyst may be further provided. In this way, the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst for a plurality of fuel cells can be replaced efficiently. .

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the fuel cell system of the present invention using an embodiment of the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement system of the fuel cell of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fuel cell in the fuel cell system of the embodiment as a functional block, and FIG. 3 is an explanation showing the configuration of the database of the management system in the replacement system for the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst of the fuel cell of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the fuel cell system of the above embodiment using the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement system of the fuel cell of the above embodiment.

  The fuel cell system of the present embodiment is a system for generating electricity with a fuel cell installed in a customer facility such as a home or office building, and for exchanging the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst of the fuel cell. As shown in FIG. 1, a fuel cell 10, a management center terminal 20, a fuel supplier terminal 30, and a maintenance provider terminal 40 are provided, which are connected via a communication network 50 such as the Internet. Are connected to each other.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell 10 includes a normal fuel cell main body 11, a fuel tank 12 that stores fuel serving as raw fuel of the fuel cell 11 such as kerosene, and sulfur in the raw fuel such as kerosene. A desulfurizer 13 for removing the components with a desulfurizing agent, a reformer 14 for mainly producing hydrogen by reforming kerosene desulfurized with the desulfurizer 13 with a reforming catalyst, and exchange of the desulfurizing agent and the reforming catalyst. An exchange time predicting device 15 for predicting the time is provided.

  The replacement time prediction device 15 is composed of a server having a normal computer that operates based on a program given in advance, and functionally, a fuel average quality calculation unit 15a as fuel average quality calculation means, and a fuel usage amount calculation means. As a fuel use amount calculation unit 15b, a managed component processing amount calculation unit 15c as a managed component processing amount calculation unit, a desulfurization agent replacement time prediction unit 15d as a desulfurization agent replacement time prediction unit, and a reforming catalyst replacement time prediction It has a reforming catalyst replacement time prediction unit 15e as means and a communication unit 15f as replacement prediction time notification means.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the management center terminal 20 includes a management server 21 having a normal computer. The management server 21 prepares a replacement plan and sends fuel quality information to the fuel cell. The database 22 includes a hard disk drive and the like. The database 22 includes an exchange plan database (DB) 22a, a maintenance company database (DB) 22b, and addresses for each of a plurality of consumers. A consumer database (DB) 22c having information such as the specifications of the fuel cell 10 there, a fuel information database (DB) 22d, and a fuel cell database having detailed information about each of the fuel cells 10 having a plurality of specifications ( DB) 22e is included.

  A fuel supplier having a fuel supplier terminal 30 composed of a server having a normal computer supplies kerosene to the fuel cell 10 and also a maintenance business having a maintenance operator terminal 40 composed of a server having a normal computer. The person replaces the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst of each fuel cell 10 according to the fuel cell system of the present embodiment. The fuel cell system of the present embodiment excluding the fuel cell main body 11, the fuel tank 12, the desulfurizer 13, and the reformer 14 is a system for replacing the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst of the fuel cell of the present embodiment. It is.

  Specifically, the fuel cell system of the present embodiment performs the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst exchange process according to the procedure shown in FIG. That is, first, in step S 1, when the fuel supply company supplies raw fuel such as kerosene to the fuel tank 12 of the fuel cell 10, the fuel cell 10 is replaced with a refueling fuel tag that is a product tag of the supplied raw fuel. Input to the time prediction device 15. Product tags (fuel supply fuel tags) are used for products of the same lot (the quality is the same), such as one tank car or one tanker, that is supplied to each fuel cell by a fuel supplier. This is an identification symbol to be given, for example, given by a fuel supplier based on a predetermined rule.

  The method of inputting the product tag may be manually input by using an input key provided in the replacement time predicting device 15, and the data of the product tag recorded on the portable information terminal such as a mobile phone is transmitted by infrared communication, The portable information terminal and the replacement time predicting device 15 can also be input by a method of transferring from the portable information terminal to the replacement time predicting device 15 by means of a cable or direct connection.

  Next, in step S2, the replacement time predicting device 15 for the fuel cell 10 measures the amount of raw fuel after refueling based on, for example, a signal from a remaining fuel sensor provided in the fuel tank 12, and the raw fuel is The remaining fuel amount immediately before refueling, the refueling amount obtained from the amount of fuel in the tank before and after refueling, and the product tag of the refueled raw fuel are recorded, and in a subsequent step S3, the replacement time predicting device 15 is refueled. Using the product tag of the remaining fuel as an index (key), the management center terminal 20 is requested for information (fuel information) on the quality of the refueled raw fuel, particularly on the managed component. The fuel information is information including the contents in the fuel of the following specific components (management components) used for predicting the lifetime of the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst, that is, the replacement timing.

  With respect to the desulfurization agent, for example, the sulfur content (total sulfur content) becomes the management component. In the desulfurizer 13, the sulfur content in the raw fuel such as kerosene is removed by adsorption, sorption, etc., but when a predetermined amount of sulfur content is processed (for example, the cumulative processing amount becomes close to the saturated adsorption amount) Life is depleted and desulfurization cannot be performed. For this reason, it is necessary to replace the desulfurizing agent before such a state is reached. Furthermore, depending on the type of desulfurization agent, the desulfurization method, and the like, in addition to the total sulfur content, for example, the content of each sulfur compound, such as benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, and mercaptan, becomes a management component. In short, the components necessary for accurately and appropriately predicting the replacement timing of the desulfurizing agent are appropriately adopted depending on the type of desulfurizing agent, the type of desulfurizer, and the like.

  In the reforming catalyst, for example, the content of aromatic hydrocarbons becomes the management component. In the reformer 14, the desulfurized raw fuel is reacted with, for example, steam in the presence of the reforming catalyst to generate a fuel gas mainly containing hydrogen. In the process, the carbon content on the catalyst is increased. Precipitation (coking) occurs. When carbon is deposited on the catalyst, the activity of the catalyst is reduced and the amount of hydrogen produced is reduced, so that the efficiency of the fuel cell is lowered. For this reason, it is necessary to replace the reforming catalyst before the coking amount reaches a predetermined amount. The components in the fuel that cause coking are mainly aromatic hydrocarbons.

  The fuel information is handled as a set of data together with the product tag, and the fuel information can be associated one-to-one with the product tag as a key (index). The analysis of the management component may be performed by a fuel supplier or an analysis center. In addition, for example, analysis of the total sulfur content is performed by the fuel supplier, and analysis by type of sulfur is performed by the analysis center. It is also possible to carry out the division of labor, such as performing analysis items that require a lot of skill and technology at the analysis center. An analysis result (that is, fuel information) performed by the fuel supplier and / or the analysis center is transmitted from the fuel supplier terminal 30 to the management center terminal 20 via a communication network such as the Internet together with the product tag, for example. In the management server 21, it is registered in the fuel information DB 22d.

  Next, in step S4, when the fuel cell 10 replacement time predicting device 15 receives the fuel information from the management center terminal, the fuel information is recorded, and in the subsequent step S5, the replacement time predicting device 15 stores the fuel remaining immediately before refueling. The average quality (concentration of management components) of the fuel in the tank after refueling is calculated from the quantity and the average quality of the remaining fuel (concentration of each management component) and the amount of fuel supply and the information on the fuel that has been supplied. Therefore, steps S2 to S5 correspond to the fuel average quality calculation unit 15a.

  Further, in step S6, the replacement time predicting device 15 of the fuel cell 10 replaces the amount of fuel used in the period from the previous replacement of the desulfurizing agent to the present as a predetermined period, and the previous replacement of the reforming medium as the predetermined period. And the amount of fuel used in the period from now to the present, and the amount of treatment of each managed component in those periods is calculated from the amount of fuel used, and the desulfurizing agent and the Cumulative throughputs from the previous replacement for each of the reforming media are calculated and recorded, and in a subsequent step S7, the replacement time predicting device 15 calculates the desulfurizing agent and the reformer from the cumulative throughput of the managed components. Predict when the catalyst will be replaced. Therefore, step S6 corresponds to the fuel usage amount calculation unit 15b and the managed component processing amount calculation unit 15c, and step S7 corresponds to the desulfurization agent replacement timing prediction unit 15d and the reforming catalyst replacement timing prediction unit 15e.

  For the desulfurization agent, for example, in the desulfurization agent, the cumulative treatment amount (cumulative treatment amount after a new desulfurization agent is replaced) and the predetermined treatment capacity of the desulfurization agent (desulfurization agent standard) Value) to predict the replacement time. A period until the cumulative processing amount reaches a predetermined reference value (for example, a value of 90%) with respect to the predetermined processing capability is predicted from the increase curve of the operation time and the cumulative processing amount, for example, by extrapolation.

  Further, in the reforming catalyst, a period until reaching a predetermined reference value (for example, a value of 90%) is predicted in the same manner as in the case of the desulfurizing agent, based on the accumulated processing amount of aromatic hydrocarbons. That is, in the reforming catalyst, the limit cumulative processing amount (processing capacity) of the aromatic compound is set by examining the relationship between the cumulative processing amount of the aromatic compound and the coke deposition amount at a predetermined processing temperature (reforming temperature). To do.

  Next, in step S8, the replacement time predicting device 15 of the fuel cell 10 determines that the time margin with the predicted replacement predicted time is a predetermined reference period (for example, one month before, two weeks before the delivery date required for replacement). In the following step S9, if the replacement time prediction device 15 determines that the above margin period has become a predetermined reference period, the replacement time prediction is determined based on the customer information. The information is transmitted to the management server 21 of the management center terminal 20 together with the fuel cell information. If it is determined in step S9 that the above margin period is still before the predetermined reference period, the replacement timing prediction device 15 determines whether or not there has been refueling. If refueling has occurred, step S2 is performed. If there is no refueling, the process returns to step S6. Accordingly, steps S8 and S9 correspond to the communication unit 15f.

  Next, when the management server 21 of the management center terminal 20 receives the replacement predicted time in step S10, in the subsequent step S11, the management server 21 registers the predicted value of the replacement time in the consumer DB 22c and the consumer DB 22c. The replacement plan is created with reference to the fuel cell DB 22e and the maintenance company DB 22b, and the created replacement plan is registered in the replacement plan DB 22a. Therefore, the management server 21 that executes Step S11 corresponds to an exchange plan creation unit.

  Further, in step S13, the management server 21 transmits the created replacement plan together with customer information, fuel cell information, and the like to the maintenance operator terminal 40. In the subsequent step S14, the maintenance server 21 receives the replacement plan. The business operator replaces the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst of each fuel cell 10 based on the replacement plan.

  Therefore, according to the fuel cell desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement system of the present embodiment and the fuel cell system of the present embodiment using the same, the desulfurization agent and the reforming agent are determined based on the amount of fuel used and the quality of the fuel. Since the cumulative value of the processing amount of the managed components input to the catalyst is calculated and the replacement timing of the desulfurizing agent and reforming catalyst is predicted based on this, the replacement timing of these replacement timings should be predicted more accurately. In addition, fuel cell consumers and maintenance business operators are notified of the predicted replacement time, thereby preventing a decrease in the operating efficiency of the fuel cell and reducing the frequency of replacement of the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst. It is possible to exchange at an appropriate timing.

  Moreover, according to the fuel cell desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement system of the present embodiment, based on the predicted replacement times respectively output from the communication units 15 f of the replacement time prediction devices 15 provided in the plurality of fuel cells 10. Since the management server 21 for creating and outputting the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement plan is further provided, the desulfurization agents and reforming catalysts of the plurality of fuel cells 10 can be efficiently replaced.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the illustrated example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example. For example, the fuel supply timing is further determined based on the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank of the fuel cell, the amount of fuel used, the amount of power generation, and the like. A fuel supply plan (which may include a production plan) may be prepared in advance, and fuel may be supplied by a fuel supplier based on the supply plan. That is, for example, the primary desulfurization in which the fuel supply company has performed the primary desulfurization in advance based on the fuel cell system of the present invention and the fuel supply plan / manufacturing plan created based on the predicted value of the fuel supply timing as described above. It can be combined with a system that manufactures fuel and supplies it to each customer's fuel cell. In this case, since each fuel supplier manufactures primary desulfurized fuel and assigns a product tag, the fuel cell system This enables more detailed management.

  Thus, according to the fuel cell system of the present invention and the replacement system for the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst of the fuel cell of the present invention, the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst are introduced from the amount of fuel used and the quality of the fuel. In addition, the cumulative value of the treated amount of the managed component was calculated and the replacement timing of the desulfurizing agent and the reforming catalyst was predicted based on the calculated cumulative value. The predicted replacement time is notified to fuel cell consumers and maintenance operators, etc., so that the fuel cell operating efficiency is prevented from decreasing and the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement frequency is reduced. Can be exchanged.

  That is, the composition of the raw fuel supplied to the fuel cell is normally manufactured and supplied so as to maintain a quality range within a predetermined standard value, but the quality varies from lot to lot within the range. Therefore, when the lifespan of the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst is predicted from the operating time of the fuel cell or the power generation amount as in the prior art, the replacement may be performed at an earlier stage than the actual lifespan. Therefore, since the replacement frequency increases, problems such as an increase in the post-treatment amount of the waste desulfurizing agent and the waste reforming catalyst more than necessary and an increase in the economic burden on the consumer arise. Alternatively, the deterioration has progressed more than predicted from the operation time and the like, and there has been a possibility that the efficiency of the fuel cell will be reduced, leading to an unexpected shutdown.

  However, according to the fuel cell system of the present invention and the replacement system for the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst of the fuel cell of the present invention, the replacement is based on the actual cumulative processing amount of the managed component for the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst. Since the time is predicted, it is possible to predict the life with accuracy rather than predicting the service life from the operation time of the fuel cell or the power generation amount. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the efficiency of the fuel cell from being lowered due to the replacement time being delayed and the performance from being lowered, and the suspension of the operation. On the other hand, it is possible to prevent the waste of being replaced early despite having sufficient capacity.

It is a block diagram which shows one Example of the fuel cell system of this invention using one Example of the replacement | exchange system of the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst of the fuel cell of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the fuel cell in the fuel cell system of the said Example by a functional block. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the database of the management system in the replacement | exchange system of the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst of the fuel cell of the said Example. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the fuel cell system of the above embodiment using the desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst replacement system of the fuel cell of the above embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fuel cell 11 Fuel cell main body 12 Fuel tank 13 Desulfurizer 14 Reformer 15 Replacement time prediction device 15a Average fuel quality calculation unit 15b Fuel use amount calculation unit 15c Management component processing amount calculation unit 15d Desulfurization agent replacement time prediction unit 15e Catalyst exchange time prediction unit 15f Communication unit 20 Management center terminal 21 Management server 22 Database 22a Replacement plan database (DB)
22b Maintenance company database (DB)
22c Consumer database (DB)
22d Fuel Information Database (DB)
22e Fuel Cell Database (DB)
30 Fuel supplier terminal 40 Maintenance operator terminal 50 Communication network

Claims (3)

A fuel cell that generates electricity using fuel supplied from a fuel tank;
Fuel average quality calculating means for calculating the average quality of the fuel in the fuel tank from the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank, the amount of fuel supplied, and the quality of the supplied fuel;
Fuel use amount calculating means for calculating a fuel use amount in a predetermined period from a change in the remaining fuel amount in the predetermined period;
A management component processing amount calculation means for calculating a processing amount of a management component in the fuel treated with the desulfurization agent of the fuel and the reforming catalyst of the fuel from the fuel usage amount and the average quality of the fuel in a predetermined period;
A desulfurization agent replacement time prediction means for predicting a replacement time of the desulfurization agent from a cumulative value of the processing amount of the management component;
A reforming catalyst replacement timing predicting means for predicting a replacement timing of the reforming catalyst from a cumulative value of the processing amount of the management component;
A replacement prediction time notification means for notifying a replacement prediction time of the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst;
A fuel cell system comprising: Fuel average quality calculating means for calculating the average quality of the fuel in the tank from the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank for supplying fuel to the fuel cell, the amount of fuel supplied, and the quality of the supplied fuel;
A fuel usage amount means for calculating a fuel usage amount in a predetermined period from a change in the remaining amount of fuel in the predetermined period;
A management component processing amount calculation means for calculating a processing amount of a management component in the fuel treated with the desulfurization agent of the fuel and the reforming catalyst of the fuel from the fuel usage amount and the average quality of the fuel in a predetermined period;
A desulfurization agent replacement time prediction means for predicting a replacement time of the desulfurization agent from a cumulative value of the processing amount of the management component;
A reforming catalyst replacement timing predicting means for predicting a replacement timing of the reforming catalyst from a cumulative value of the processing amount of the management component;
A replacement prediction time notification means for notifying a replacement prediction time of the desulfurization agent and the reforming catalyst;
A system for replacing a desulfurization agent and a reforming catalyst for a fuel cell, comprising:   The system further comprises a replacement plan creating means for creating and outputting a replacement plan for the desulfurizing agent and the reforming catalyst based on the predicted replacement time respectively output from the replacement predicted time notification means provided in the plurality of fuel cells. 3. A fuel cell desulfurization agent and reforming catalyst exchange system according to claim 2, wherein

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